I learned tonight that there will be a Cheesecake Factory in the Shanghai Disneyland opening in June. We always send our best!
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So, we’re trying to tank their economy by giving everyone type II diabetes and overloading their healthcare system?
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LOL. This is our counter hack.
Endgame was set a long time ago by the tobacco companies.
Tangent: I read or heard David Chang say that even the chain restaurants (Wendy’s, T.G.I.Fridays, etc.) in Japan are actually good/better than in the US because “they give a shit.” I’ve never been to Japan but am intrigued by this. Can anyone confirm or deny?
Fast food is much better in Asia. I always like to go to McDonald’s when I’m in Singapore/Malaysia/India because the quality is much better than here, plus the menus are adapted to local tastes. For example, I was just in Malaysia a couple weeks ago and we picked up spicy chicken sandwich es and fries. Sounds like an order from here, but over there, the chicken is heavily spiced with chili pepper and the fries come with chilli sauce. It’s a great combo. On the way back to LA, we were at the Hong Kong Airport and my son wanted to try the Hong Kong McDonald’s – he got a Samurai burger, which was a teriyaki style pork burger. It was actually really good.
That’s the only fast food I really had this trip, but on other trips, I’ve tried Burger King, KFC, Ikea, etc. The food is always adapted to what the locals will like. I saw a billboard/sign for a new KFC offering this time and took a picture to send to my husband – the KFC Sambal Chicken Bowl – it was white rice topped with small fried chicken pieces and drizzled with sambal chilli sauce. I wanted to try it but didn’t get time.
I always like to get Domino’s or Pizza Hut when in the same countries because they offer flavors and toppings we don’t get here. For example, this trip, we order Dominos delivery and got chicken sambal pizza, tuna sambal pizza, chicken pepperoni pizza (pepperoni made with chicken, not chicken and pepperoni) and a veggie pizza. In India, I fell in love with tandoori paneer pizza. We don’t get those kind of pizzas here in the US!
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Now that you mention it, when I was in Beijing in 2011, I went to a 2 story McDonald’s by my hotel that looked more like a Starbucks than any stateside McD’s. And it had jazz playing on a sound system at all hours. Anyway, they had a side consisting of 2 pieces of very tasty fried chicken, not like those dried out chicken sandwiches they serve here.
I rarely eat fast food while in Asia (or in USA, for that matter). On some trips after a couple of weeks on the road, after my appetite for the local fare is sated, some good old American fast gets mighty appealing.
I had the best chicken sandwich ever at a KFC in the Beijing train terminal. The chicken was tasty, juicy and delicious, the bun tasted freshly baked, not just toasted/heated. Whatever, the combination of flavors and textures just worked magnificently. I still long for that sandwich, but know better than to try to replicate that taste experience here in the states.
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Holy cow this is great. Thanks for the response!
On the other hand, the air in Beijing is palpable and bad.